I’ve recently come to the realization that Jerry Seinfeld is my spirit animal. For years, people have been vexed by the fact that I’d never really watched Seinfeld, stating that my sense of humor seems to mirror it. So I started watching it on Hulu, and realized it may be the greatest show ever made. I’ve fallen in love with the classic “show about nothing” and its crazy characters.

One of the most memorable presences on the show is Jerry’s eccentric neighbor, Cosmo Kramer. Played by comedian Michael Richards, Kramer became a solid favorite on the show with his manic quirky demeanor.

After the show ended in 1998, it seemed the Fab Four of Seinfeld would be forever known for their iconic roles. But then came a fateful evening in 2006, where Richards was performing a stand-up comedy routine and went on a vicious rant spewing profanities and racial slurs at a group that arrived late to the show. He then launched another profane racial slur laden tirade against a member of the group that called him out.

Richards apologized for the incident publicly several times, but the damage was done and his reputation was marred. Despite having played one of the most iconic characters of the 1990s, because of this incident, he went from being known as “Cosmo Kramer” to “the comedian that went into a racist rant.”

History is full of people who, despite doing great things, became defined by fateful mistakes.

Richard Nixon, while President, ended the military draft, enforced desegregation of schools, founded the EPA, and opened up trade with China. But he is remembered as a crook for the Watergate Scandal and resigning to avoid impeachment.

Oscar Pistorius, the “Blade Runner” of the 2012 London Olympics, became a hero to his home country of South Africa and many others worldwide. But he was ruined when he shot and killed his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp in 2013, and went from hero to murderer.

Scripture has such cases of people marred by mistakes as well.

Jephthah was a powerful warrior and military leader who won a great victory and rose to prominence in Gilead despite being the illegitimate son of a prostitute. But because of his foolish and tragic vow, he is remembered as the schmuck who had to sacrifice his daughter.

Thomas was one of the Apostles who formed the early Church, was said to have spread the Gospel as far as India, and was the first apostle to refer to Jesus as God. But because of one momentary lapse in faith after experiencing tragedy, he has been perennially branded as “Doubting Thomas”.

I could go one, but the point is pretty much made.

History is full of people branded by their mistakes.

Honestly, we are also often branded by mistakes, either by others or ourselves. We carry labels like failure, cheater, stupid, addict, slut, drunk, etc; and we eventually sadly come to see these as our identities.

While we are obligated to own our mistakes and their consequences, we also must understand they do not determine who we are.

We serve a God who is in the business of taking screw-ups and villains and giving them new identities and purposes.

Peter was the schmuck who dropped the ball during the Transfiguration, chopped a guy’s ear off against his master’s nonviolent enemy-love manifesto, and denied even knowing Jesus when push came to shove. But after the Resurrection, Jesus reinstated Peter and changed his identity from screw-up fisherman to shepherd leader of the Church.

Paul was a vicious and violent persecutor of the Church, hell-bent on destroying all followers of Jesus. But on the way to Damascus, an encounter with Jesus changed Saul the Persecutor into Paul the Apostle of Jesus and the greatest missionary of all time.

Charles Colson was Special Counsel to President Richard Nixon and a “hatchet man” specializing in destroying political opponents and covering up scandal. Colson eventually went down when he was found guilty of obstruction of justice in trying to cover up the Watergate Scandal and served time in prison. However, he came to Christ shortly before his incarceration, became an advocate for prison reform, and founded Prison Fellowship, the largest prison ministry in the country. His identity was changed from political evil genius to child of God and herald of the Kingdom of Christ.

The mistakes we make do have major consequences in our lives, but they need not determine who we are.

Christ, in the midst of our failings, gives us new purpose and identity in Him.

Going back to Michael Richards, in 2012, he appeared on Jerry Seinfeld’s new show, “Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee,” which is basically the most self-explanatory title in existence. During this episode, Richards addressed the 2006 comedy club incident and stated that he had learned a great deal from it, particularly a lesson in being selfless instead of being selfish. He admitted his behavior that fateful night was terribly selfish and that he wanted to live his remaining years selflessly. Seinfeld, his longtime friend who stood by him always, affirmed Richards and encouraged him to one day “pick up his instrument again.”

When we fail, which each of us will, we are required to bear the responsibility of the failure and the consequences that come with it. We must also bear responsibility for those hurt by the consequences of our actions. But, there is comfort in the fact that those failures do not constitute our identity in the eyes of God.

The God of the Universe, the Creator and Savior of the world, calls us by our names, not our failures.

Even in the midst of a world, a society, and even amidst churches that long to judge people by their failings, there is hope in the fact that God sees more in us and invites us to see it, too.

There is healing, instruction, encouragement, restoration, and new life waiting on the other side of our failures; and God longs to take each of us there. The question is whether or not we’ll let Him.

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10 thoughts on “Failure, Identity, Mercy, and Kramer”

It’s an epistemological cognitive dissonance! We simultaneously know that our state is inextricably fallen, like gravity held earth bound; and we intuitively know that we are made in God’s image, meant rise above our limitations . . . but somehow we are always surprised to discover that either one of these two truths . . . could be true of us.

That’s living in the tension for you. 😉. It’s a great mystery and blessing that in the midst of our fallenness, God loves us, calls us, chooses us, and raises us up in His grace to more than we could imagine being.

Yes! It’s an intended tension, meant to draw us into the mystery — so that we don’t live in our static choices, as if once made define us from then on. But rather, that we choose to live in the dynamic of relationship . . . in intimate relationship with God.

Adam
I know I’m certainly proof that God uses our failures for good. I like to think about how Jesus responded to Thomas. He could have belittled him for doubting, but instead, he gave Thomas what he needed– a close look, hands-on proof.

Agreed. The miniseries A.D. gave some insight in a case for some leniency on Thomas, where he is depicted as having not slept, eaten, or had any peace after the Crucifixion, but is given the comfort needed by Jesus and the proof he asked for. He certainly is a God of love and mercy.

This is a great post. Thank You!!! And seriously, Your first sentence has become one of my favorites anywhere, anytime. Brilliant!!!

I saw that episode and my heart broke for him. Very vulnerable. Simple. At the time I didn’t go around verbally bashing him, but inwardly jumped on the “Oh my God!!!! What happened to him!!!” bandwagon. Didn’t give it a second thought. I’m willing to bet the farm that every single person on this planet has said or done something we are not proud of….but most of us have the gift of not doing it in public eye. When I saw Michael Richards talking to Jerry Seinfeld, it was nothing more than a human being saying I SOOOO screwed up. It would be nice to learn to cut ourselves and one another some slack. Thanks again for kickstarting my brain this morning and Cheers!!! 🙂

Jerry Seinfeld is my Jesus. I know that may seem heretical to Christians, but a) I’m joking and b) I’m Jewish and c) sorry not sorry, see a). Spirit animal is hilarious. Look, everyone in America who is white is brought up in a sea of racism, conscious or not, institutional, and modeled even by the President. If you’re not Native American, you’re a descendent of an immigrant. It never ceases to amaze me how un-Christian most Christians really are. See Louis CK’s 2017 special talking about cross tattoos with barbed wire. Hilarious! (And there’s a guy who screwed up and at least had the balls to apologize). Anyway, I reference Seinfeld alot, and his show was about alot of things, not nothing. Thanks for your writing and I guess a like of one of my posts, maybe the one about the Juiceman and Jerry? – A Dude Abikes

Rogues Speak

"I'm Christian as I believe in mostly Christian beliefs. Although, I'm not too terribly fond of overly organized religion. I think it's more of an, 'I'll figure it out on my own' rather than 'Take it from someone I don't know' sorta deal."
- Millennial, age 16

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